Interplay between economics and environment: determinants of sustainable solutions

Abstract

The debate on sustainable development has long focused on the determinants promoting sustainable development. Some scholars have discussed environmental determinants, such as energy savings, pollution prevention, waste recycling, hygienic factors, land occupation, green product design, corporate environmental management, and ease of material handling (Chen et al. in Journal of Business Ethics 67:331–339, 2006; Pretty et al. in International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability 9:5–24, 2011; Delai and Takahashi in Social Responsibility Journal 7:438–471, 2011; Galdeano-Gómez et al. in International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability 11:125–143, 2013). Others have investigated the social aspects of sustainability, such as social recognition, human capital development, job creation, and health and safety issues (Choi and Ng in Journal of Business Ethics 104:269–282, 2011; Delai and Takahashi 2011; Galdeano-Gómez et al. 2013; Khan et al. in Corporate Ownership and Control Journal 12:84–94, 2016). The economic aspects of sustainable development have also been heavily discussed, and scholars have suggested that sustainable development is driven by cost savings (Horbach et al. in Ecological Economics 78:112–122, 2012; Horbach et al. in Industry and Innovation 20:523–544, 2013; Del Río et al. in Technological and Economic Development of Economy 23:1–26, 2015; Hojnik and Ruzzier in Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions 19:31–41, 2016) and increased revenue from new business opportunities (Delai and Takahashi, 2011; Mamede & Gomes in Environmental Quality Management 23:49–73, 2014; Schaltegger et al. in International Journal of Innovation and Sustainable Development 6:95–119, 2012). These sustainable development studies with quite narrow viewpoints have yielded conflicting results and an unclear picture of what is being developed. The development target should be clearly defined to understand the determinants of the development.